Latest news with #BalearicSea
Harpers Bazaar Arabia
30-07-2025
- Harpers Bazaar Arabia
From Butler Service To Family Rituals: The Magic and Rich History Of The St. Regis Experience
Inspired by the rich hospitality of its Gilded Age founders, St. Regis resorts are the ultimate luxury escape… I'm sitting in a corner of a terrace on my last night at The St. Regis Mardavall Resort, Mallorca, taking in the twilight and the expanse of darkening Balearic Sea. There's a calm din of conversation around me, as fellow diners at the critically acclaimed Es Fum enjoy their midsummer supper. I've been served a multi-course menu including morsels of Kaluga caviar and beautiful just-pink lamb with a crisp crumb and Japanese potato flour Katakuriko gnocchi, arranged as precisely and artfully as the dots on a Bridget Riley painting. The executive chef de cuisine Miguel Navarro has brought his experience from around the globe to Mallorca, the homeland of his grandmother; there are flashes of East and South Asian, and South American ingredients cleverly woven through, complementing each other. 'I want to take you on a journey,' Navarro tells me as I navigate the exquisite meal, course by course. Indeed, my three-day stay at this St. Regis resort has itself been a journey of discovery and delight, qualities that the brand is famous for. As soon as I had arrived, laden with luggage and weary from an early flight, I was greeted with refreshments and a hearty welcome, while my suitcase was whisked away to be unpacked by a dedicated butler. Immediately I felt my shoulders drop, and I began to relax into the holiday. My butler would become a constant companion during my stay. The service is a mainstay of every St. Regis, whether in Abu Dhabi, Mauritius or New York (the original opened in 1904 and became a centre for high society). Anticipation was the name of the game. If I forgot my book by the time I got to the pool, my butler would bring it to me, while also delivering a refreshing iced tea. My home for the duration was the Astor suite, named after the St. Regis founder, John Jacob Astor. The space was an impressive series of interconnected rooms, its focal point the wraparound private terrace. From here I had panoramic views over the sun-drenched hotel grounds – its many pools, the coiffed lawns, the Mar Sea Club restaurant, the horizon between the sea and sky beyond. Coming off the main suite were two more rooms which could easily accommodate four to six – ideal for families holidaying with grandparents or cousins. Throughout the suite there were beautiful design touches that nodded to the Mediterranean setting, such as the locally-sourced artworks. I particularly enjoyed the freestanding bath, and the suite's private bar, a wonderful place to perch and chat while nursing a Bloody Mary. (I was delighted to learn that one of my favourite cocktails was perfected at The St. Regis New York's Old King Cole Bar 91 years ago by the barman Fernand Petiot). Once my butler had unpacked my cases in the walk-in wardrobe, I was ready to see more of the island, and so was thrilled to be invited to a private boat ride on one of the newest additions to the hotel – the sleek Tesoro T50 Speciale. Jumping aboard from a private jetty, we sped along the coast taking in the Unesco heritage site of the Tramuntana mountains, and then moored and dived off the boat into the crystalline turquoise sea. It was a thrilling way to start the day, and a customary activity for guests – especially with families – who are after a different perspective of their location. Ravenous post-ride, I returned to shore, ready for lunch at the Mar Sea Club where a feast that included a plump oyster served with a shot of the hotel's signature cocktail, The Mardavall Pepper Snapper (a take on the classic Bloody Mary – every St. Regis has its own twist). St. Regis is also famous for its 'rituals', which are celebrated daily in each of its resorts. Perhaps my favourite was afternoon tea – beautifully arranged on the lawns, complete with plentiful towers of croquembouches and platters of seasonal fruit cascading with grapes. It was a bucolic scene, in which families gathered and made friends – the children were playing games and kite decorating – while the adults were able to meet and mingle. The occasion of the tea itself is a tribute to the founder's mother Caroline Astor – a formidable matriarch who defined the Gilded Age with her salons and cultural gatherings. With time between plans, I had a wander around the grounds and decided to retreat to the bar, behind which sits a mural that was painted by the Mallorcan artist Ramon Enrich. The artwork is a nod to The St. Regis New York, whose Old King Cole bar is named after a mural of the same name, painted by the artist Maxfield Parrish in 1932. Before dinner at Es Fum, I was treated to the hotel's final ritual. To signal the beginning of the evening to come, the ceremony of 'sabrage' – a dramatic opening of a bottle of champagne with a saber – is performed. The ritual takes its cue from Napoleon Bonaparte, who would open champagne thus whether in victory or defeat. While I was offered the opportunity to channel Napoleon too, I thought I would leave the swordplay to the experts, whose deft skills were incredibly impressive. As I sipped my champagne, I knew it was these thoughtful touches that built up to the full experience of being at a St. Regis resort. The brand's legacy of warm hospitality shines through in every detail, from its beloved rituals to its friendly butler service, creating a feeling of playful, luxurious escapism. I already can't wait to visit another one of its resorts.
Daily Mail
23-06-2025
- Daily Mail
Horror as bodies of suspected migrants with hands and feet tied together wash up on Balearic beaches
Police in one of Spain 's most popular tourist hotspots are investigating the gruesome discovery of bodies in the sea with their hands and feet tied up. At least five corpses have been recovered by the Civil Guard in the Balearic Sea near Ibiza. They are believed to be migrants who had tried to reach the Spanish coastline via a dangerous crossing from Algeria, a journey which has claimed thousands of lives. Other bodies have been washing up on beaches but these particular ones have been shackled, leading police to believe they had been murdered for some unknown reason. Police have opened an investigation to clarify the circumstances of the deaths. However, the investigations are almost impossible because the occupants of the boats are aware that they are in an irregular situation and do not report the abuses they suffer during the crossings from the Algerian coast. The discovery of these bodies has taken place over the last month, although the police have maintained total secrecy about the investigations. One of them was recovered on May 18 at around 5pm in the afternoon. A private Belgian-flagged vessel sailing in waters west of Formentera raised the alert after spotting a body floating in the sea. After receiving the warning, the patrol boat of the Civil Guard Río Segura went to the scene, which despite being based in the Canary Islands had moved to the Balearic Islands to carry out patrol services. The crew members of the Río Segura went to the point marked by the Belgian boat and about two hours later they located the lifeless body floating in the sea. When the Civil Guards recovered the body they discovered that he was tied hand and foot and was wearing an orange life jacket. The Civil Guard patrol boat transferred the body to the vicinity of Cap de Barbaria, south of Formentera, where it was transferred to a boat that took it ashore. The body was later examined by Civil Guard agents and a forensic doctor, in an attempt to clarify the circumstances of the death. A few days later, another body appeared in similar circumstances, also in the waters of Formentera. And they have been repeated several times over the last few weeks. In total, at least five bodies have been found with their hands and feet tied floating in different parts of the waters of the Balearic Islands. All of them presumably belonged to migrants who were travelling in a boat. In all cases, the procedure provided for cases of violent deaths has been activated. The corpses are examined by Civil Guard agents and forensic doctors, who take necrofingerprints (if the state of the body allows it) or DNA samples. Civil Guard investigators suspect that the migrants who appeared tied hand and foot could have had a confrontation during the crossing. They would then have been handcuffed and thrown into the sea, so they would be clear cases of murder. The Balearics have registered in recent days one of the highest concentrations of arrivals of boats of recent times. Between June 20 and June 22, security forces and Maritime Rescue teams intercepted and rescued a total of 344 people who were trying to reach the coasts of the archipelago in precarious boats. On Friday, June 20th, 195 people were counted, while on Saturday, June 21st, 106 were located and on Sunday, June 22nd, another 39. The authorities are keeping surveillance devices active in the event of new arrivals, especially at this time of year when sea conditions make it easier to navigate in the tiny boats. In total, so far this year, at least 2,695 people have arrived in the archipelago in 130 boats, according to data from the regional government. The situation is causing ongoing shock for tourists as bodies have been washing up on beaches, often badly decomposed. At one stage, a human leg was discovered in the sea in Can Pastilla in Palma, Majorca. Another body, that of a woman, had no legs. Another was simply a skeleton. In the last six months alone, some 30 bodies have been found on the Balearic beaches, including in Majorca, Ibiza and Formentera, leading Spanish newspaper to dub the beaches 'a graveyard'.
The Sun
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Danny Dyer fails to show at Jarrod Bowen's stag as West Ham ace charters £1,000 party boat
WEST Ham ace Jarrod Bowen is forever blowing bubbles on his Ibiza stag do - as he hit the sea on a private boat yesterday. The England forward, 28, and ten pals splashed out £1,000 to hire the vessel and drift out across the breezy Balearic Sea for five hours - but Danny Dyer was nowhere to be seen. 10 Jarrod has been enjoying a relatively low-key stag ahead of his wedding to his former Love Island star fiancée Dani Dyer, 28, on Saturday. Sources said that after arriving on the Spanish party island clad in fancy dress on Monday, the group spent £2,000 on a boozy lunch at the swanky Nassau Beach Club. Jarrod was seen leaving the bar topless with a bucket hat and shorts and looked to be enjoying himself with close pals. The group, who are staying in a luxury private villa, climbed into a blacked-out Mercedes Sprinter after their lunch. An onlooker said: 'Jarrod seemed to be having a great time and looked really relaxed ahead of his big day. 'They kept things respectable and didn't hit it too hard at the beach club. 'There's no doubt the lads have got plenty in store for Jarrod over the next couple of days so it's bound to get messy.' The lads, along with Jarrod's dad, had set off in style on a private jet from Stansted Airport on Monday morning - all clad in fancy dress, with Jarrod in a wedding dress. But their trip has so far paled in comparison to Dani's hen do - with the girls partying hard over the weekend. Her hardman actor dad Danny, 47, had been expected to be part of the stag-party - with Dani confirming he was joining Jarrod and his pals earlier this year. Watch as Dani Dyer dances with booze on her flight to Ibiza as she wears West Ham kit on second hen do ahead of Jarrod Bowen wedding But there has so far been no sign of him. Sources previously told The Sun that Dani and her friends splurged around £20,000 on her hen do - with the group flying out with British Airways last week. Dani, who shares twins with Jarrod, flew back in a West Ham kit with his number 20 and the words 'Mrs Bowen to be' emblazoned across the back. They had spent their time partying at hotspots including super-club Ushuaia. One source said: 'Dani might have flown on a commercial flight but they splashed the cash when they landed. 'She spent Friday night at Ushuaia where they were on a VIP table with a minimum spend of £8,000. 'The next day they hired a boat to go around the coast before spending the rest of the time chilling at the Hard Rock hotel. 'Dani also had a boozy brunch at Beso Beach where her mates put on Jarrod masks and sang Abba songs with her. 'They spent their last night at superclub Hi Ibiza where they had a VIP booth. 'There were some sore heads when they touched down at City airport.' 10 10 10 10 10 10
